Evening Brief: Monday, May 2, 2016

Tonight’s Evening Brief is brought to you by the International Economic Forum of the Americas. Over 195 speakers and 3,500 participants are expected to be at the Hotel Bonaventure Montreal on June 13-16, 2016. Confirmed speakers include Angel Gurría, Secretary-General, OECD, David M. Cote, Chairman and CEO, Honeywell, and Min Zhu, Deputy MD, IMF.
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Senator Mike Duffy is back on Parliament Hill just a little over a week after Justice Charles Vaillancourt acquitted him on all 31 counts of fraud, breach of trust and bribery — and lambasted the Harper PMO for its handling of Duffy’s case. Although the P.E.I. senator has returned to his office in Centre Block, he doesn’t appear ready to talk yet. Our Janice Dickson looks at the impact of Duffy’s return on the Hill.

RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson came under fire Monday afternoon before the Senate national security committee, where he was hit repeatedly with accusations that recent harassment scandals are “destroying” Canadians’ faith in the force and asked why the force isn’t moving to establish an independent review body. Our Amanda Connolly has the details.

Saskatchewan Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall’s private member’s bill that would make it a separate offence to injure a “preborn child” in the commission of an offence against a pregnant woman was debated at second reading today, with the bill’s sponsor insisting the law wouldn’t affect abortion rights. Our BJ Siekierski has that story.

Amid growing anger from Canada’s dairy industry, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay says he and Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland will meet with the sector within 30 days to discuss the fate of the CETA compensation package proposed by the Harper government. Our Kelsey Johnson has that piece.

In Toronto, Prince Harry launched the official countdown to the 2017 Invictus Games, an Olympic-style sporting event meant to honour wounded, injured and sick troops. The 31-year-old prince spoke about his own experience on active duty in Afghanistan, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saluted his late grandfather, Jimmy Sinclair, who saw battle during WWII.

Former NDP MP Jean Rousseau announced today alongside Green Party Leader Elizabeth May that he will join her shadow cabinet as agriculture critic. “It’s a very natural move,” Rousseau said at a press conference on Parliament Hill. Our Janice Dickson was there.

“Hundreds of tourists and a handful of emotional Cuban-Americans arrived on the first U.S. cruise ship to sail to Havana in decades on Monday, spilling onto the cobbled streets of the old city where they were warmly greeted by residents,” reports Reuters Marc Frank. “It was another first for the two countries since U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced a historic rapprochement in December 2014, and comes weeks after Obama’s visit to the Caribbean island.”

Today is Princess Charlotte’s first birthday. Charlotte — who may still be too little to understand quite what it means to be her, but at least seems blessedly blasé about being photographed by her mum — received a snowsuit from the Trudeaus.